of the night distilled upon his locks ere thou wouldst give him house roome in thy heart how many mercies how many corrections were all spilt upon thee ere Christ could win thee to respect him canst thou tell if thou canst not think not much if Christ make thee shed a few teares and breathe out a few groanes ere he bring glad tydings of peace unto thee Secondly if thou consider Christ thy visitour there is all the reason that can be that thou shouldst wait patiently till hee come to thee Christ will certainly come to thee Christ will come to thee at the fittest time Christ will come richly when he doth come which are all speciall grounds of patience Christ will certainly come to thee O comfortlesse soule though it may seeme to thee something long first Thou doest not wait for one that will not come at all as the Turk waiteth for Mahomet nay thou doest not wait for one that will frivolously delay the time of his comming Thou doest not wait for one that will deceive thee Christ hath promised to come to thee and he is faithfull and cannot deny himselfe There is two things in faithfulnesse first that a man should own what he hath said then secondly that he should make it good Now both these will Christ do Christ will not eat his words as we say what he hath promised he will confesse and will make good whatsoever labour or losse he be at to do it Christ is not mutable as we are to promise one thing to day and recall it againe to morrow he is immutable and changeth not therfore we are not consumed Thou doest not wait for one that will frivolously delay the time of his comming Christ will not deale with thy comfortlesse soule as those sorry ghests dealt with Christ make excuses one had bought a yoke of Oxen and therefore could not come an other a Farm c. Christ will not tell thee as Abrahā Dives in hell between thy soul him is a great gulfe so that there can be no intercourse between them Nor that from Heaven to Earth is too long a journey for him to make He will not tell thee that the place where thy sick comfortlesse soule lyes is filthy and altogether unfit for him to come to Hee will not tell thee that thy soule is so far gone in griefe and desperate sorrow that 't is in vain for him to come to thee Christ puts none of these delayes upon any of his patients No the ground why Christ stayes is that hee may come at the fittest time and then he will come with healing in his wings if all the Devils in Hell should oppose him which me thinks should be a satisfactory ground of patience to any disconsolate soule If a Physitian yet apply this and that for further evacuation rather then cordials as knowing the body not yet fit for cordials will not any wise man submit patiently to his way so if Christ for bear giving thy sick soule cordials as hee that well knowes thy soule not fit yet for such luscious things wilt not thou with much thankfulnesse acknowledge his great care over thy soule and with all patience waite his leasure I patiently undergoe the paine of drawing plaisters when I know my sore is not fit for healing thus should it be in spirituall distresses wee should patiently undergoe griefe and sorrow untill our soules bee fit for consolation and then we shall bee sure to have it Finally bee sure of this O mourning soule that Christ will come richly when hee doth come and therefore methinkes thou should'st waite patiently for him what Merchant but would waite patiently the returne of his Ship in the longest voiage if hee were sure that it would richly returne at last Christ will come very richly furnished with the comforts of the Holy Ghost which are unspeakable and glorious to your soules that mourne after him and waite for him What the Apostle once spake of himselfe in relation to the Romans that may I truely say of Christ in relation to all that mourne after him And I am sure that when I come unto you I shall come saith he in the fulnesse of the blessing of the Gospell of Christ Rom 15.29 Christ I am sure O mourning soule when he doth come unto thee hee wilt come in the fulnesse of the blessing of the Holy Ghost thou shalt have joy in the Holy Ghost unspeakable and glorious Thou by long waiting art made a more vast Vessell to hold the precious waters of consolation and Christ by long staying doth as I may say the more furnish himselfe with these waters of life to refresh fill and satisfy thy thirsty soule when he comes to thee Christ will heale throughly thy broken heart and binde up all thy woundes he will answer all thy doubts and cleare all thy scruples hee will quiet thy quarrelling conscience and still thy complaining Spirit he will fill thy sadde soule with joy and gladnesse and thy dejected spirit with Songs of thankes giving If these things O mourning soule will not make thee waite patiently till thy Comforter come to thee but thou wilt murmure and repine and fall upon indirect wayes to get consolation know that by this practice thou wilt make thy condition more miserable then at present it is Thou wilt grieve him that should come as a comforter to thee and if thou by sinne make Christ grieve how can Christ by his Spirit make thee rejoyce and if thou set him a mourning that can onely comfort thee by whom wilt thou bee comforted Dost thou thinke to winne Christ to thee by a dogged disposition Christ may pitty and cure thy humours but t' will never bee by consolation He will bring thee to bee lowly and meeke ere thou shalt find rest to thy soule hee will make thee willing to lye under his Feete glad of crummes of comfort and willing to waite for them till Christ hath dined and every Child served If thy corrupt soule hanker after the pleasure of sinne againe because Christ as a comforter doth not come to thee and thou bee resolved to picke and chuse amongst all the sins thy soule knowes to finde out one that thy soule most loves to make a comforter to thee as the Israelites in their dogged humour made them a Captaine to returne to Aegypt againe know this that what sinne thou pitchest upon to make a comforter that sinne will Christ make a Divell to torture thee Christ will make thee know by woefull experience that the sweetest sinne is a bitter and miserable comforter that the least sinne is too great an evill truly to comfort the soule that to goe to the Divell for consolation is to make faster hast for comfort then good speed that neither sinne nor any thing in the world beside sin shall comfort thy soule when he himselfe will not The last Instruction that I have to commend to thee O comfortlesse soule that did'st never yet
effected The convincing the soule of sinne which selfe-conceited man is not easily brought unto The making of sin out of measure sinfull in the soules apprehension which blinde man is not easily brought to see The making of man to loathe himselfe for the evils which hee hath committed against God which man full of selfe-love is not easily wrought unto The making of man to long for peace and reconciliation with God as the greatest happinesse in the world and to beg this blessing with teares as a soule that sees hee shall dye and perish eternally without it which man that naturally hates God is not easily wonne unto Yet all these difficult workes doth Christ doe in the soule of man before he comes as a Comforter to him Which Christ confirmes where he saith Blessed are they that mourne for they shall be comforted Now would'st thou know whether he that is come to thy soule bee hee that should come or not why then tell me What did precede thy comfort which now thou hast Did Christ leade thee to the Wels of Consolation by the waters of Marah Did hee bring thee to sowe in teares ere he gave thee to reape thy great harvest of joy Wast thou ever in the house of mourning Did the spirit of heavinesse for sin ever take hold on thee Was thy hard heart first broken and after this bound up First wounded and after this healed Didst thou goe mourning for dishonouring God all the day long and after many dolorous dayes thus spent did thy Comforter come to thee Surely then he that is come is he that should come and do not looke for another but if otherwise thou hast just cause to bee jealous of thy joy Againe Christ as hee doth great workes in the soule before he comforts it so he doth great workes in the soule after hee hath comforted it That soule which Christ comforts he makes a very fruitfull soule in all grace to his glory No waters make the soule of a Christian grow in grace like the waters of consolation The comforting Spirit of Christ is to a Christian in the wayes of obedience as winde and tide to a Ship that which makes him runne the wayes of Gods Commandements That Christian which is comforted by Christ prayes fervently and prayes frequently Consolation gives winges to supplication That Christian which is comforted by Christ prayseth God with strong affection A soule comforted by Christ is as an instrument well tuned by a skilfull Musitian hee will upon every occasion make sweet me lody in the eares of the Almighty True consolation is from Heaven and it carries that soule strongly to Heaven in which it is True consolation is from Christ and it will make a Christian live wholly to Christ To whom much is forgiven they love much and this love constraines them to deny themselves and to follow Christ unto death Would'st thou know then for certaine O strong man in Christ that hee which is come to thy soule is he which should come Why then look what activity is in thy soule to duty Is thy soule as a Gyant refreshed after wine strong and vigorous to the practise of all good duties Art thou abundant in the worke of the Lord Art thou a sweet Singer in Israel of the prayses of the Lord Is thy heart at thy mouth leaping within thee like the Babe in Elizabeths wombe when thou art telling what God hath done for thy soule Art thou in a word a holy heavenly man as one comforted by a holy and heavenly God Doth thy joy transcend the joyes that this world affords in sweetnesse Doth it raise thy spirit to admire the love of God and doth it make thee dead to secular delights and to account naked carnall mirth madnesse empty huskes for brutes to feed on Then mayest thou comfortably conclude that he which is come to thy soule is he which should come and do not look for another but if thou art merry and cheerfull but not holy and heavenly hee that is come to thy soul is not he that should come wherefore I beseech thee to look for another A second instruction which I would commend to strong men in Christ is this after thou hast made it sure to thy soule that Christ as a Comforter is indeed come to thee then strive so to walke that he may never depart from thee So a man may walk that Christ as a Comforter may forsake his soule David had wofull experience of this truth and so doubtlesse have many else of the godly So a man may walke that Christ as a Comforter never depart frō him But how should I thus walk saith the comforted soule that I might enjoy this heaven below till I come to that above and so go from joy to joy from joy unspeakable and full of glory to joy that cannot enter into any mortall heart to conceive of To this I thus answer Do not grieve Christ that is come to thee Secondly do all that thou canst to delight him if thou would'st have him continually abide with thee Doe not sit downe and rest as one that hath a licence to be lazie and as if all thy work were done now thy Comforter is come to thee this will grieve him and quickly make him leave thee Thou hast obtained Christ to come a Comforter to thee well yet let mee tell thee as Moses did the Israelites You are not said he as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance which the Lord your God giveth you So say I to thee O comforted soule thou art not yet come to those degrees of consolation which thou mayest attaine unto in this life if thou continue to be thrifty The joy of the Holy Ghost is a bottomelesse Well which thou canst never draw dry and the more thou drawest the fresher and sweeter still shalt thou finde it The joy of the Holy Ghost is no surfeting thing as some earthly sweets are and therefore thou mayest safely say Lord ever more give me of this bread fill my soule with Flagons of this precious liquour let thy love bee shead abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghost let my soule delight her selfe in this fatnesse Secondly now Christ as a Comforter is come to thee doe not wax wanton against him this also will grieve him and make him quickly forsake thy soule as a Comforter Let all the manifestations of thy comfort be suitable to thy Comforter holy as he is holy spirituall and heavenly as he is When yee are come into the good land take heed that ye doe not forget the Lord said Moses to Israel So say I to you that finde Christ with you as a Comforter which are come to the fellowship of the Spirit and to the participation of that transcendant comfort which is by him take heed that you grow not giddy headed and forget God and your selves The waters of consolation are strong waters and mans weake head and heart cannot beare much of them steadily but
are ready to reele to one side or other When the clouds of heaven have well watered the Earth then doe weeds as well as good hearbes spring apace so when Christ by his Spirit sweetly waters the soul w th consolation then levity and vanity as well as Christian mirth and cheerfulnesse spring amaine If a Christian bee not very watchfull over his soule to pluck up such weedes by the rootes as soone as they begin to shew themselves I conclude this thus thou that art comforted by the Spirit let not the manifestations of thy comfort grieve the Spirit This remember that Satan hath an art to bring evill out of the greatest good as God hath an art to bring good out of the greatest evill and therefore beg that thou mayest not be ignorant of any of his devices nor unable to resist them if thou would'st not loose thy Comforter Secondly if thou would'st have thy Comforter to abide still with thee as thou must not grieve him so thou must doe all that thou canst to delight him Let it be thy meat and drink to follow all the motions of the Spirit of Christ whithersoever Christ would have thee go or whatsoever Christ would have thee do cheerefully obey him this will delight thy Comforter exceedingly and make him to rejoyce to continue with thee If Christ say unto thee as to the Fishermen Follow me Mat. 4 19. do thou readily reply as the Scribe Master I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest Mat. 8 19. This is to declare the genuine disposition of Christs people which Christ is exceedingly taken withall Christs people are a willing people in their obedience Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power c. Psal 110 3 2 Humbly and compassionately tell disconsolate soules what Christ hath done for thy soule this will delight thy Comforter much and make him rejoyce to continue with thee Christ delights to see his children communicative of the sweet meates which hee gives them And therefore as Iael said to Barak so do thou O comforted soule to such as yet go mourning all the day long Come said she and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest Iudg. 4.22 Come O sad soule that canst not finde him whom thy soule loveth I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest the manner of his comming to my poore soule and how long hee made me waite upon him ere he would come to me and how well hee hath now made mee amends for all his staying And therfore Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him yet judgement is before him therefore trust thou in him Iob 35.14 For the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Hab. 2.3 The more imparting of experiments of love wee are to the glory of Christ the more still will Christ graciously give us to our further comfort And this indeed is Gods end in comforting some of his children that they may bee able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith they themselves are comforted of God 2 Cor. 1.4 as the Apostle sweetly affirmes 3 Thank Christ humbly and heartily for his comming to thee if thou wouldâ—st have him abide still with thee The Israelites when they came into the promised Land which flowed with milk and honey they were to take the first of all the fruits of the Earth and put them in a basket and so present them to the Priest saying viz. And now behold I have brought the first fruits of the Land which thou the Lord hast given me thus were they to set their first fruits before the Lord and to worship before him as you may see at large Deut. 26. Why you that enjoy Christ as a Comforter you have received the first fruits of that good land which Canaan typified which flowes with Milke and Honey Bring therefore these first fruits and set them before God and worship bring the sweet comforts of the Holy Ghost in your hearts before the Lord and say Behold ô Christ these and these are the sweet consolations of thy spirit and loe for them all I humbly render praise to thy name Such mighty enemies of my peace hast thou conquered such doubts which so long troubled me hast thou answered such wants which so long time kept mee exceeding low hast thou supplyed to thee O God be the glory of thine own goodnesse You have great cause thus to magnifie the Lord for his mercy which finde Christ as a Comforter come to you You enjoy that blessing which exceedeth all outward blessings The light of Gods countenance lifted up upon a poore mourning soule 't is of farre greater value then Corne Wine Oyle then Corrall Rubies or any choice thing that this world can afford The naked revelation of Christ in the soule of man is of more worth then all these saith Solomon the most glorious revelation of Christ then to the soule which the soule of man is capable of in this life must needs be of much more transcendant worth You enjoy that blessing which exceedeth many inward blessings It exceedeth knowledge for what is knowledge in the head to the joy of the Holy Ghost in the heart One beame of light in the understanding is of more worth then all the Silver and Gold Gemmes and Jewels in the world and yet one beame of the light of Gods countenance shining upon the heart though but by reflexion from the face of Jesus Christ is of more worth then all knowledge which humane study can attaine unto I cannot say that this blessing exceedeth the least saving grace in the soule but this I can safely say that consolation 't is the glosse and glory of every grace every grace shines in its full lustre where the Comforter dwels This I can further say that you enjoy that blessing which makes Heaven a Heaven and which makes Earth a Heaven to you and therefore you have great reason to magnifie the Lord for his mercy The more of Heaven we enjoy upon Earth the more should we set our selves to doe the worke of them which are in Heaven whilest on Earth 4 Finally let Christs mediate comming to thee by his Spirit make thee long earnestly for his immediate comming to thee in his owne person this delights Christ that his Spouse should say Come as the Spirit doth Rev. 22.17 That shee should long for the wedding day as he doth When good old Simeon had imbraced the consolation of Israel for which hee so long waited hee then desired presently to be dissolved so thou that hast imbraced the consolation of Israel should'st in a holy manner with Simeon Iob and Paul desire to bee dissolved and to bee with Christ which is best of all You whom Christ hath kissed with the kisses of his lips should long earnestly to lye betweene
a Comforter comes not to thee All outward comforts without the inward consolations of Christ they are as good broath unseasoned which rather cloys then contents the appetite they weary distract and vex and not revive the owner Be it that thou art as wise as Achitophel as eloquent as Herod as learned as Gamaliel as rich as Nabal as honourable as Haman as great in the Church as Iudas why yet shalt thou live comfortlesse that is utterly destitute of Celestiall consolation one droppe whereof hath more soule-reviving sweetnesse in it then all the things of this life can afford Alas what is learning what is wit wealth honour or any other worldly thing to comfort me if Christ do not come to me A man may have all that this world can afford and yet hang himselfe for want of comfort if Christ come not to him as Achitophel Iudas and others have done Ob. No men laugh lowder nor laugh oftner then wicked men in prosperity no man merrier in an Alehouse Playhouse Taverne Faire or Market then they and are not these then the only comfortable men in this world Sol. To this I answer first thus laughter is one thing and spirituall consolation another thing Every one that laughs hath not a cheerefull spirit within for in the midst of laughter a mans heart may be sad saith Solomon And so on the other hand every one who hath a comfortable spirit hath not a laughing face we do not reade that Christ ever and yet had more comfort in his Spirit then all the merry men of this world Secondly I answer thus some mens spirits are so left of God to levity and vanity that they will laugh at the wagging of a straw as wee say This is a great judgement of God upon the spirit and not to be accounted a comfortable and happy condition 'T is a pastime to fooles to do wickedly saith Solomon This is not properly called mirth saith he but madnesse You shall see mad men laugh sometimes exceedingly and hoope and hallow as if their spirits were as full of joy as they could hold what shall wee conclude now that these forlorne creatures are in a comfortable condition Alas say we if they were but sensible of their condition they would soon cease laughing and begin lamenting And so may I say to you of all that laugh and rejoyce and yet live in their sins and so consequently have no Comforter from Heaven come to them they are mad men were their eyes open to see their forlorne condition they would quickly change their note and turne their mirth into mourning as Iames saith Quest Why but doth not Christ come to the wicked in prosperity Answ Yes no doubt to be made of of it Christ came to Belshazzar whilst hee was quaffing in the golden vessels of the Temple and wrote downe his wickednesse in the wall And thus hee comes to all ungodly persons in prosperity to write downe all their ungodly deeds that so he may exactly judge them at the great day of account Quest Why but doth not Christ come as a Comforter to wicked men that are great and wealthy Answ Christ regards no man for his wealth or for any externall greatnesse If a man be never so rich or never so honourable yet if hee have not denyed his lusts and given up himselfe to Christ to be ruled by him Christ will never come to comfort him if hee would give him all hee hath for his paines he will not steppe a foot out a doores to a Prince if he be wicked Ob. Why but though hee will not come to ungodly men as a Comforter in prosperity when they can make some shift without him yet hee will come to them as a Comforter in adversity when all other comforters faile Sol. No hee will not Christ will not know thy soule in adversity which art a disobeyer of him As he would not let Dives have a droppe of water to coole his tongue though in unutterable torments where many oceans would not in the least measure have quenched the flames so neither will hee afford thee the least drop of consolation in thy greatest extremity though thou cry Lord Lord and cut thy flesh in the fervency of thy spirit like Baals Priests to prevaile yet shalt thou be sent empty away Nay Christ will be so far from being a Comforter to ungodly men when in misery that hee will adde to their outward misery inward misery When thy body is in distresse Christ will awaken thy soule that now lyes asleepe and set thy conscience a gnawing within thee which will bee greater torture then if thou wert rackt in every limbe Thou maist send for godly Ministers godly friends to comfort thee then and they possibly may deliver very comfortable things but they shall be of no more savour to thy soule then the white of an Egge because Christ as a Comforter will not speak those sweet things to thy soule which thy friends do to thy eares As the Lord bewailes the miserable condition of Ierusalem so may I bewaile the miserable condition of all ungodly men These two things are come unto thee who shall be sorry for thee desolation and destruction and the famine and the sword by whom shall I comfort thee Isay 51.19 So say I to all ungodly persons misery upon misery will first or last seize upon you and who then will be sorry for you Famine and sword and pestilence sicknesse and death and judgement and by whom will you bee comforted your honours cannot comfort you your riches friends cannot comfort you your father the Devill hee will not then comfort you your conscience which you have often sinned against shall not comfort you but torture you because Christ will not come to you to sprinkle it with his blood and pacifie it So that I conclude all thus you will live comfortlesse dye comfortlesse and abide in Hell after death everlastingly comfortlesse 'T is true all that you say Sir man is a comfortlesse Creature indeed unlesse Christ come to him I finde it by wofull experience I have much wealth in my purse and yet but little peace in my spirit I see the Devill mee thinkes now then sit a stride upon top of my money-bags waiting for me when I come to comfort my selfe in the beholding of them and to what this will come at the last I cannot tell Sinne I am sure I do and comfortlesse because of sinne I am and more comfortlesse every day I look to be unlesse Christ come to mee and yet how to get him to come to me I know not Would'st thou O comfortlesse creature have Christ to come to thee Do then to Christ as Lydia did to Paul lovingly invite him to come to thee Make knowne thy comfortlesse condition to Christ and then earnestly entreat him to visit thy poore soule The ground why I exhort thee O sinner thus to doe is because God hath
a mans spirit bee never so cold yet if Christ be with it hee is in the ready way to burne with love to Christ as strong as death which many waters cannot quench They that have Christ with their spirits are in the ready way to the very heigth of joy consolation they are in the ready way to joy unspeakable and full of glory These things have I spoken unto you that your joy may be full said Christ to his Disciples Christ speaks such things to the spirits of those with whom hee is present as fils their spirits with joy to the very brim and this oft times in the very depth of all outward extremity The Church doth darkly hint this The Comforter which should relieve my soule is far from me Lam. 1.16 As if the Church had said though my outward misery bee exceeding great yet if the Comforter did but keepe close to my spirit I should have as much consolation as my heart could hold in the midst of all my misery but this is my misery of miseries that the Comforter which should relieve my soule is far from me out of the hearing of sighes and groanes nay out of the hearing of strong cryes he is angry against my prayers In a word a Christian which hath Christ with his spirit is in the ready way to excell in vertue as David sayes to excell in all vertue to be wiser then his teachers more excellent in all grace then his neighbours And therefore to have Christ present with our spirits must needs be counted and called A prime and principall blessing Lastly to have Christ with our spirits is the ready way unto eternall good and therefore a prime and principall blessing As a stone carries with it whatsoever light thing be fastned to it unto its own center so Christ whose proper place of residence is Heaven carries with him thither all such spirits as to whom he is united on earth If we have a speciall friend at Court wee count that wee are in a ready way to see all the pompe of the Prince Christ hath the Keyes of Heaven and Hell hee opens and no man shuts shuts and no man can open all with whose spirits he hath dwelt and beene kindly used upon earth hee knowes and when they shall knock at those everlasting gates hee will open and let them in to every roome in his royall dwelling and shew them all the glory which he had with his Father before the world was 'T is betweene Christ and that spirit with whom he lives as between Naomi and Ruth where the one lives the other will Whilest such spirits live in the body Christ will live with them there when they remove out of the body Christ will not leave them death cannot separate but commands his Angels to bring them to eternall mansions with himself Christ which is lifted up to glory himselfe will draw all such unto him as in whose spirits he dwels and no strength shall bee able to withstand him none shall pluck such out of his hand Vnio cum Christo est unio inunibilis If to have Christ with our spirits bee a grand favour not to have him with our spirits must needs be a grand evill A spirit without Christ is naked as a body without cloathes Many things may make cloathing and defence for the body but only Christ that best garment as the Father of the Prodigall cals him can make cloathing and munition for the soule A mans spirit without Christ is as a naked body amongst thorns every thorne pierceth and every bryer scratcheth and fetcheth blood from such a body so worldly cares and worldly fears when strong will pierce such a naked spirit thorow and thorow and make him runne mad if God unsought do not seasonably step in and bridle the Bedlam A mans spirit without Christ is as a naked body amongst Serpents every Serpent stings and venomes such a naked body to death so every seed of the Serpent stings and poysons to death such naked soules by their threatnings flatteries examples and the like A mans spirit without Christ is as a naked body in great blasts of lightning such bodies are suddenly scorcht and consumed so such naked soules are suddenly blasted by the fiery darts of the Devill and so suddenly oft times goe from burning to burning from burning in sin to burning in hell A mans spirit without Christ is not only naked but blind too A naked man having his sight may make some shift but a man naked and blind too is in a miserable helpelesse state indeed and just such is the state and condition of every mans spirit that hath not Christ with it for as the Sunne in the Heavens is the eye and light of the greater World so the Sunne of righteousnesse Christ is the eye light of the lesser world man Now doe but imagine what a darke dolorous condition wee should all bee in if the Sunne were darkned or had utterly forsaken our Horizon or doe but thinke of that darknesse which was upon the Aegyptians for a little time when no man could stirre out of his place and such and much worse is the darke dolorous condition of a spirit without Christ not able to see the least beame of saving light not able to stir a steppe out of his place in the way that leads to life A mans spirit without Christ is not onely blind but dumme too A man that is blind yet if he can speake can begge for that which hee cannot see to worke But when a man is blind and dumme too that hee can neither helpe himselfe nor beg others hee is in a dolefull condition indeed and just such is the condition of every mans spirit that hath not Christ with it For as Christ is Eyes to the soule so hee is a Mouth and Tongue enabling it to cry Abba Father Unlesse the spirit of Christ be with our spirits helping our infirmities who are godly we are dumme and not able to speake to our owne Father as adopted children for daily Bread much more unable to begge for life to the dreadfull Judge of all the World must all ungodly persons needes bee whose spirits are altogether without Christ as an helper I would have all men that live in their sinnes thinke seriously of this when Christ as the dreadfull Judge of all the World at the great day shall aske you what you have to say for your selves that you should not eternally die for your sinnes in which you have lived you will bee like that man which was without his wedding garment dumme and not able to say a word for your selves because Christ is not with your spirits 'T is impossible that a mans own guilty spirit should bee able to looke the terrible judge of men and divells in the face much lesse speake a word for mercy unlesse the Al-mighty spirit of Christ be with it to aid it Many ignorant wretches sooth themselves with this that they will